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American
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ACE
President-Elect |
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CARLOS A. CAMARGO, MD, DrPH, is an epidemiologist at the Channing Laboratory, Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Director of the EMNet Coordinating Center at Massachusetts General Hospital; and Assistant Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology at Harvard University. BACKGROUND: Dr Camargo’s interest in epidemiology began in college when he led several alcohol studies at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention. He received an MPH in epidemiology from UC Berkeley; an MD from UC San Francisco; and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He then did a research fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and earned a DrPH in epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr Camargo continues to work in Boston. At the Channing Laboratory, he is PI of two cohort studies investigating risk factors for asthma/COPD in approximately 240,000 women. At Massachusetts General Hospital, he created and directs the Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet), which involves 120 emergency departments across North America (http://healthcare.partners.org/marc). EMNet studies have provided unique data about a variety of issues, including gender, race, and SES disparities for asthma. As a result, Dr Camargo has re-focused the network on how emergency departments – with 100 million patient visits each year – can help accomplish the goals of Healthy People 2010. As chair of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Public Health Task Force, Dr Camargo is leading a collaboration that links this professional organization with several federal agencies. Dr Camargo’s work is funded by grants from NIH, industry, and private foundations (e.g., Center of Excellence Award). He serves on two editorial boards and participates in several national review committees (e.g., EDC3 Study Section). Dr Camargo was elected to the ACE Board of Directors in 2000. He has served successfully on several ACE committees (Admission, Membership and Policy) and the Task Force on Bioterrorism. He currently chairs the Communications Committee, and is leading a major revision of the ACE website (http://www.acepidemiology.org). STATEMENT: If elected, I would focus my efforts on two objectives from the 2001 Strategic Plan. My first objective would be to continue to advocate policies and actions that enhance the science and practice of epidemiology. My long-standing enthusiasm for epidemiologic research, clinical responsibilities in an urban emergency department, and strong interest in health policy place me in an excellent position to promote our specialty to outside groups. In recent years, I have testified on epidemiologic topics to the US Congress and other government groups; local efforts include leadership roles in community-based programs, multidisciplinary “quality improvement” initiatives, and more traditional academic activities (e.g., teaching graduate students). I would welcome the opportunity to dedicate myself to the much broader legislative/policy issues that affect our profession (e.g., proposed regulations on medical records and patient privacy, the role of institutional review boards). I am particularly interested in creating a American College of Epidemiology mechanism for providing expert epidemiologic opinion on public health issues through ad hoc scientific review panels. My second objective would be to develop and maintain a vital membership base representative of all aspects of epidemiology. I believe that my organizational and fund-raising skills would be of service to the College. I am interested in promoting links with other organizations to not only increase the ACE membership and generate funds, but to more effectively disseminate policies of importance to epidemiologists. Furthermore, I am committed to increasing the number of qualified minorities who are active in the College. If elected, I would dedicate myself to creating new and more attractive opportunities for all members to work with the College in promoting the science and practice of epidemiology. |
MARLENE B. GOLDMAN, Sc.D., is an Associate Professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School and a Principal Research Scientist at New England Research Institutes. BACKGROUND: Goldman earned master’s and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Trained as a chronic disease epidemiologist, she has thirty years of experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of epidemiologic studies. Her research addresses the influence of environmental, occupational, and lifestyle factors on reproduction and the health consequences of exposure to ionizing radiation. Prior to her current positions, Goldman was an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard where she taught epidemiologic principles and methods and developed a program in reproductive epidemiology. Goldman designed and co-edited Women and Health, a 100-chapter epidemiology textbook on women’s health published by Academic Press. The book won the Award of Excellence in Medical Science from the Association of American Publishers and is an international teaching and reference standard. She is a Fellow and active member of ACE, serving on the Board of Directors, the Program Planning and the Continuing Education Committees. Goldman has been both a Section and a Governing Councilor for the Epidemiology Section of APHA and served on the Planning Committee of the Congress of Epidemiology 2001 for three years. She has participated in various advisory and review committees for CDC, NIH, and EPA, is an associate editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology, and is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Epidemiologic Research. STATEMENT: I am continually impressed by the depth and resiliency of epidemiology as a discipline and by the diverse interests and accomplishments of my fellow epidemiologists. Such diversity is crucial to maintaining the strength and relevancy of epidemiology as a profession. The College plays a singular role in advancing this vibrancy in a way that brings innovation and energy to crucial and timely policy issues that are better informed by our evidencebased analytic approach. As President I would strive to ensure that epidemiologists with a wide range of backgrounds and constituencies are actively engaged in College activities, continue my commitment to integrity in scientific research, advance the involvement of new investigators through increased mentoring and membership opportunities, and enhance the ability of the College to face the challenge of developing and advocating informed health policies in our increasingly complex world. |
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Board of Directors
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MELISSA BONDY, Ph.D., is Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology at The University of Texas School of Public Health and Director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention - a joint center between Baylor College of Medicine, M. D. Anderson, and Texas Children's Hospital. BACKGROUND: Dr. Bondy obtained her Master of Science and doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston (1990). Her research interests include genetic and molecular epidemiology and epidemiologic assessments of the roles of heredity and genetic susceptibility, primarily in the etiology of brain and breast cancers. She is also developing a multi-institutional program in Childhood Cancer Epidemiology. Her research is further strengthened by ongoing collaborations with other Texas investigators in studies of Mexican-American populations in Harris County, Texas and on the Rio Grande Valley of the Texas-Mexico border. She has initiated a feasibility study for a Mexican-American cohort study in Houston and Hidalgo County, Texas. The overall goal of this long-term study is to identify risk factors, genetic susceptibility and other factors that might be associated with disease patterns in this understudied population. The study will include the largest Mexican-American study population ever assembled, 100,000 participants, and extra-mural funding is being pursued to support the work. She serves on numerous advisory committees for NIH, including serving as a permanent member of Epidemiology and Disease Control Study Section. She is a scientific advisor to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation, chair of the Epidemiology Committee of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and I also serve on the boards of American Society for Preventive Oncology (secretary/treasurer), and Society for Neurooncology board. I am a section editor for the journal CANCER and serve on the editorial boards of the journal Neuro- Oncology, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, and Breast Diseases Quarterly. I have had the opportunity to teach and mentor students from The University of Texas School of Public Health and Baylor College of Medicine, where I have faculty appointments, and each summer I mentor student interns through the MDACC training programs. STATEMENT: I have been serving on the Policy committee of the College, focused on the impact of how health policies impact the field of epidemiology. I have assisted with preparing statements on behalf of the committee and the College on NIH guidelines on data sharing and the restructuring of NIH study section panels. As a board member I will continue to be involved in policy issues with a view to helping the ACE promote not only the professionalism but also prestige of epidemiology so that it can reach its full potential as a positive force in research and public health. As I have in my research, I would favor collaborative approaches in scientific and professional endeavors. I would serve as an advocate for epidemiologists to establish coalitions for promotion of funding and government policies favorable to research, science, scientific education, and professional training.
OLIVIA CARTER-POKRAS, Ph.D., Director, Division of Policy and Data HHS Office of Minority Health BACKGROUND: Dr. Carter-Pokras is the Director of the Division of Policy and Data at the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Carter-Pokras is also an Associate faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University, from which she received her MHS in Biostatistics and her PhD in Epidemiology. Through her work during 10 years as a Health Statistician with the CDC National Center for Health Statistics and subsequently with the Office of Minority Health, Dr. Carter-Pokras has over 21 years of experience in the collection, analysis, and presentation of health data, and in the development of national health goals, objectives, and health policy. STATEMENT: Dr. Carter-Pokras is a second generation Bolivian who is committed to working to decrease health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. Her extensive list of accomplishments toward that goal includes authoring numerous articles, book chapters and government reports; serving as a reviewer or project officer for major government grants and contracts, serving on or chairing a broad range of national committees; being a featured speaker at a large number of conferences; receiving major awards, and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya. H.
IRENE HALL, RN, PHD, MPH, is Epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention-Surveillance and Epidemiology, and Associate Editor of the Annals of Epidemiology. BACKGROUND: Dr. Hall received a B.S. degree in nursing in 1986 from Boston University and graduated from Yale University in 1991 with a Ph.D. in epidemiology. She then was an epidemiologist at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and conducted surveillance on the health effects related to acute hazardous substance releases and health studies related to hazardous waste sites. In 1995, Dr. Hall joined CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Since 1998 she was Chief, Surveillance Research Section, in the Cancer Surveillance Branch that administers the National Program of Cancer Registries. Her research focused on methods used by children and adults to protect from sun exposure, self-reported cancer screening and the validity of recall of screening, the burden of cancer in special populations, patterns of cancer care, and the quality of surveillance data. She has been a member of several committees of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the ACE Publications Committee, and serves as Associate Editor of the Annals of Epidemiology. Dr. Hall just accepted a position at CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention where she will work on HIV surveillance. STATEMENT: ACE is unique in promoting the profession by considering ethics, standards, continuing education, and the interests of epidemiologists. Coming from a strong public health background, I consider these issues as vital to continue our ability to assess disease burden, implement prevention and control strategies, and evaluate progress. As the chair of the poster committee for this year’s Annual Meeting, I have observed an increase in abstract submissions. I hope we can continue this trend, further broadening interest in the College among epidemiologists. An expansion of membership is also needed to increase the number of active members who can promote the collective goals. The College should also seek opportunities to broaden the impact of the Annals, including publications related to the practice of our profession. I believe that my experience and background have prepared me to contribute actively to the ACE Board.
CHRISTINE COLE JOHNSON PhD, MPH, is a Senior Research Epidemiologist at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit Michigan. BACKGROUND: Dr. Cole Johnson is a chronic disease epidemiologist with a focus in two different disease areas, cancer and asthma. She received a BS in Zoology (1975) and an MPH in Epidemiology (1977) from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in Epidemiology with minors in occupational health and biostatistics from the University of Texas School of Public Health in 1985. She has worked in a variety of settings including the Texas Department of Public Health, MD Anderson and NASA, but has been at Henry Ford since 1985. Henry Ford, which owns the largest HMO in Michigan and has remained at the cutting edge with its long term automated databases and electronic medical record, provides a rich environment for epidemiological research. Dr. Johnson has worked to exploit these opportunities from the perspective of etiologic and health care epidemiology. She created, directed and built the Epidemiology Division of the Department of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology and the Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention and Control program in the Josephine Ford Cancer Center. She works closely with faculty at Wayne State University, serving as the Director of Epidemiology for the Wayne State NIEHS Toxicology Center, and at the University of Michigan, serving as principal investigator or coinvestigator on grants related to cancer and pediatric asthma. She is the PI of the Henry Ford site of the HMO Cancer Research Network, and co-PI of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial and the Lung Screening Study. Working with participants from a diverse population in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic status, she has a strong interest in explaining racial disparities in health and health care behavior. She is the director of a birth cohort study that has been following over 800 children since the late eighties for the development of allergies and asthma and a new cohort of 3000 children to be enrolled next year. Dr. Cole Johnson is a member of a number of other societies including SER, ASPO, the HMO Research Network, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American Thoracic Society. She served on the ACE Awards Committee from 1994-97, and as a reviewer for NIH and DOD study sections and review panels. STATEMENT: I am particularly interested in serving on the board because of the ACE’s longstanding focus and advocacy on important policy issues relevant to the conduct of epidemiology. I am at a stage in my career in which I believe my experience would allow me to contribute to our discipline on a more national broad-based level. In my work setting where we frequently utilize our HMO as a sampling frame and conduct research using automated databases maintained for clinical and administrative purposes, the issues surrounding the maintenance of confidentiality and privacy, including federal and state legislation such as HIPAA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley, are at the forefront. I believe my experience in a non-traditional setting, as well as my work with large longterm multisite collaborative studies in which these issues become a major concern as data sharing is addressed, will allow me to bring a unique perspective to the Board. We need to continue to provide input to federal as well as state legislators (state laws are often more constraining) to design processes that provide for privacy yet do not disallow research using data collected for other purposes or make such research prohibitively cumbersome. There is also a need to educate the public to avoid the problem of declining participation rates in research and the worrisome concern that those most at risk for many conditions, who have often been historically understudied, may be those most likely to refuse. If elected, I would work to increase communications regarding these concerns and foster a broader sense of ownership of these issues on the part of the ACE membership. I would also look forward to working with other Board members on the operational activities of the organization.
BACKGROUND: Dr. Kreiger received her Ph.D. from Yale University and her commercial pilot’s license from Transport Canada. She has been a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology since 1994, has served on the ACE Policy Committees, and currently is a member of the ACE Committee on Ethics and Standards of Practice. She was the first President of the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CSEB) (1991-1993), and remained on the CSEB Board of Directors for an additional term as Past President (1993-1995). More recently, she was on the Planning Committee, and was the local host, for the International Epidemiology Congress, held in Toronto in June 2001. Dr. Kreiger’s research encompasses both cancer epidemiology and the epidemiology of osteoporosis: |
She has conducted studies of risk factors, focussing on reproductive, hormonal, pharmacological exposures, and habits of nutrition and physical activity, as well as methodological studies relating to response rates. Her teaching includes hypothesis development and study design in epidemiology, and ethics in epidemiologic research. STATEMENT: The ACE has long provided a forum and a focus for advancing both the research and policy agendas of those in practice in epidemiology and public health. It is unusual among epidemiology organizations in its emphasis on creating social change. While taking a leadership role in evolving and influencing public policy, the College can benefit from increased impact, which might result from stronger linkages with the other epidemiology organizations in North America. Such linkages will enhance the constituency base, and extend policy development across borders. The College also would serve the public well by developing a larger role in the translation of research results into public policy, and in helping to guide the public to a greater understanding of research findings.
MARTHA S. LINET, M.D., M.P.H. is Chief of the Population Studies Section, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute. She also holds a position of Senior Associate in the Department of Epidemiology of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Linet is a longstanding Fellow of the College. BACKGROUND: Dr. Linet received an M.D. from Tufts University, and an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She is board certified in internal medicine and general preventive medicine, and was elected to the American Epidemiological Society. Dr. Linet’s research focuses on: cancer incidence and mortality among radiologic technologists, and the potential role of non-ionizing radiation exposures from power lines and electrical appliances in relation to childhood leukemia, and wireless communication devices with brain tumors and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in adults. She also has conducted research on the relationship of specific medical conditions, surgical treatments, medications, and vaccinations to childhood and adult leukemias, lymphomas, and brain tumors; the association of radon, smoking, environmental chemical exposures, and infectious agents with childhood leukemia; and the quantitative estimation of occupational benzene exposure with risk of adult hematological malignancies and related disorders. Among Dr. Linet’s honors are the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics Exemplary Service Award, the NIH Merit Award, the NIH Quality of Life Award, the NIH Director’s Award, and the Henry L. Moses Award for outstanding clinical paper of 1997. Dr. Linet has long served as an advisor to the Leukemia Research Fund (London) and the European Institute of Oncology (Milan). She recently stepped down from the Standing Committee on Epidemiology of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, and continues to serve on the Advisory Group on Cancer and the Environment to the American Cancer Society, and the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Linet authored the internationally recognized text, The Leukemias: Epidemiologic Aspects. Dr. Linet has served on the Board of Directors of the College since 1999, where she also serves as Chair of the Publications Committee. STATEMENT: Epidemiologists are in the best position to interpret the preventive and policy implications of their research. The American College of Epidemiology and the College-sponsored Annals of Epidemiology offer important platforms for discussing, debating, and translating epidemiological study results into preventive measures and policy statements. During the past 3 years I have served on the Board of Directors of the College and have chaired the Publications Committee. The Committee assisted the Board in selecting the present editor for the College-sponsored Annals of Epidemiology, and has worked closely with the editor to upgrade the number and quality of submissions to the journal. The Committee and editor have co-sponsored breakfast roundtables at the 2000 Annual Scientific Meeting and at the 2001 Congress to discuss the rapidly evolving changes in scientific publication with the advent of electronic submission, review, and publication of peer-reviewed papers. For the first time, the Committee reviewed all abstracts submitted for the 2002 Annual Scientific Meeting of the College, edited the abstracts for publication in the Annals, and developed new guidelines for standardized review of abstracts for future meetings. I hope to continue serving the College for an additional 3 years as a Board member, focusing on College–sponsored scientific communication organs. I also plan to work closely with the Membership Committee to increase the number of Fellows, Members, and Associate Members joining the College, and to add my energy to programmatic aspects of the Annual Scientific Meeting. My goal is to develop new and better strategies for communicating the scientific, public health, and policy messages of epidemiological research through a strong, central, and growing organization represented by the College.
ROBERTA B. NESS, MD, MPH, is Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh. BACKGROUND: Ness is Director of the Women's Health Program at the Graduate School of Public Health and Director of Cancer Epidemiology at the Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh. She received her M.D. degree from Cornell University and her M.P.H. from Columbia University and is board certified in internal medicine. She has directed twenty federally funded grants and published numerous articles, book chapters, and editorials over the past dozen years on a wide variety of issues in women's health. These include ovarian and breast cancers, adverse reproductive outcomes, cardiovascular disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and professional equity between genders. She co-directs an NIH training grant in women's health and is mentor on several training awards. Ness edited one of the first epidemiologic texts devoted to women's health, Health and Disease Among Women published by Oxford University Press and was a section editor on the award-winning, 100 chapter epidemiologic textbook Women and Health. Ness is well recognized for playing a consistent role in instituting and nurturing multi-site national and international collaborations. This has included chairing two national/international conferences on women's health. She has been a member of ACE since 1997 and served as Chair, Committee on Women's Health, American College of Physicians, and a member of the Board of Directors, Pennsylvania Public Health Association. She has participated in many advisory and review committees at the NIH, AHRQ, and DOD including current membership on the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, the highest civilian oversight board on issues of health in the military. STATEMENT: The American College of Epidemiology plays a unique and central role in our profession. In our science, it fosters opportunities for training and discourse. In the policy arena, it provides a platform from which we speak united. The College has done much to advance its educational and advocacy missions. As a member of the Board, I will work to do more. Upcoming policy decisions must protect our ability to conduct and publish our research unburdened by excessively restrictive regulations. I have long been one, singular voice for maintaining our ability to protect the public health. As a member of the Board, I can help bring together many voices. The depth and breadth of issues and ideas presented at the College annual meeting must be applauded and encouraged. If elected, I will focus much attention on making the annual meeting as exciting, innovative, and instructive as it can be. I will work to engage epidemiologists with a wide range of interests, from a variety of backgrounds, and with diversity as to race, ethnicity, and gender. I will encourage discussion of emerging causes of disease, new concepts regarding healthy and unhealthy behaviors, innovative teaching methods, and new strategies for the design and conduct of research. I will work to make a yearly trip to the College conference an enjoyable and enlightening experience.
BACKGROUND: Dr. Zhang was a barefoot doctor in China from 1969 to 1973. He served as a preventive doctor in a Schistosomiasis Control Program from 1975 to 1978. Following a Medical Degree in Preventive Medicine from Shanghai Medical University in 1983, he studied cancer epidemiology in the M.P.H. and Ph.D. programs of Shanghai Medical University from 1983-1987. Thereafter, he did postdoctoral training at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France from 1987-1988, under supervision of Dr. Max Parkin. Several years later, Dr. Zhang graduated with a Ph.D. degree in cancer epidemiology, from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1991, where he worked with Dr. Saxon Graham, followed by positions as an Assistant and Associate Member of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and as an Assistant Professor at Cornell Medical College from 1991 to 1997. Finally, he accepted a position as an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1997, and advanced to Professor of Epidemiology in 1999. Dr. Zhang’s research interests focus on molecular genetic epidemiology of cancers of the lung, bladder, prostate, esophagus, stomach, liver, head and neck cancer, cervix, and AIDS-related malignancies. His research team is working on mutations, methylations, and polymorphisms of tumor suppresser genes such as TP53 and p16, of phases I and II genes, such as GSTs, NATs, and CYP450s, and of DNA repair genes such as XRCC1. His major focus of this research is to evaluate the main effects of these genes on the risk of cancer and to assess potential gene-environment interactions. Dr. Zhang is also interested in nutrition and cancer, epidemiology of second primary cancers, methodological issues in the use of tumor markers in cancer epidemiology, and the application of tumor markers in progression and survival of cancer. He is the author of 114 articles published in national and international scientific journals. Dr. Zhang has participated as a member of numerous NIH peer review study sections. He has been a member of ACE since 1990 and a fellow since 1999 and he has served as a member of the Publication Committee and as a member of the Education Committee. STATEMENT: Epidemiology is an important scientific field for studying disease processes and for improving health status of the general population. Epidemiology can utilize the knowledge of advanced basic sciences such as human genetics, molecular biology and medicine and methodology, to further advance our understanding of disease processes and to take advantages of these new developments. (1) In order to advocate for policies and actions that enhance the science and practice of epidemiology, ACE should promote the practice of multidisciplinary approaches, which encourage epidemiologists to work together with researchers from other scientific fields. Furthermore, we should support the translational studies from basic sciences to epidemiology, from laboratory bench to population, and from etiologic approaches to disease prevention. (2) To promote the professional development of epidemiologists, ACE should prepare epidemiologists to face challenges with continued professional education, such as workshops on the applications of molecular genetic approaches in epidemiology. (3) To develop and maintain a vital membership base of both Fellows and Members representing all aspects of epidemiology; ACE should focus on young and junior epidemiologists as well as graduate students in epidemiology. ACE should also continue to create and increase opportunities for them by conducting workshops on grant application and career advancement. (4) If elected, I would be the only Board Member on the West Coast. As such, I would promote ACE activities for epidemiologists in the region. I am looking forward to contributing my time, energy, and perspectives to achieving these goals. |
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